Masquerade
by Erebrandir
Summary: A series of drabbles mostly Kakashi, Sakura, and kakasaku centric. Now up: Summer Days Is anything really that easy?
1. Mask

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my pitifully large collection of Naruto paraphernalia.

A/N: Wow. I have almost no idea where this came from. Almost. I think it's mostly from looking at too many pieces of Sakura fanart. It's been years since I've ventured into the world of fanfiction, and my first time writing Naruto, so please forgive me my rustiness.

Notes: Hmm… I'm thinking Sakura's a little older but not much, and while she sees Kakashi as a fairly close friend, no romantic feelings or the like yet.

Reviews are nice, but not demanded.

**Mask**

"_Why do I wear it..." Kakashi mused, leaning back, eyes half closed. "Because it gives me a sense of anonymity."_

_Sakura snorted and shot an amused glance at her sensei. "You're one of the most well known ninjas in Konoha. Or at least one of the more easily recognizable," she added as an afterthought, glancing at his hair. "Between that mop of grey and your mask, most people know you on sight."_

_One eyebrow rose. "I'll have you know it's silver, not grey. I'm not an old man yet." He pat his hair protectively. _

"_Right. Silver." She shot him an amused look. Had he always been this sensitive about his hair color? She hadn't noticed. "You may not be old, but I feel old." She lay back with a soft groan. After several hours of hard training, all she really wanted to do was relax. "You do realize that your mask doesn't help with this youthful image you're trying to project, don't you? It makes people wonder if you're trying to hide your age." _

"'_Youthful image'? You sound like Gai." He laughed softly when she shot him an incredulous look. His expression turned thoughtful. "That's why I first started wearing a mask. To hide my age. People didn't trust such a young high level ninja, and most thought it was my father's influence, not my own skill." He shrugged, barely a lift of the shoulders. "But it's been years now, and it would be hard to stop wearing it now."_

She fingered the dark material between her fingers, then sighed and put the mask down. It was silly. She had no reason to hide, so why bother?

But a part of her wanted to have a screen between her and the world, to be anonymous, just another ninja among many, not to be overshadowed by her infamous teammates when they saw her and thought of them. She wanted people to see her for her, and not to be a remainder of team 7, the loose end.

She also wanted to because it brought her closer to understanding herself, and to understanding him. The other loose end.

A split second of indecision, then she slipped it over her head and pulled it up over her mouth and nose.

She stared at herself in her small bedroom mirror, and her reflection stared back. She looked… different, but it was still her, the same green eyes, the same pink hair. She felt no different, but something clicked into place.

"Ah..." she whispered quietly. She could see the attraction now, why someone would spend years wearing one. The security it offered. The freedom. And at the same time, she realized it wasn't for her. Not really.

And suddenly she felt foolish for even wearing it. With a swift movement she pulled the mask off, and she looked at her reflection in the mirror again. Short pink hair sticking out at odd angles, head tilted to the side. She wrinkled her nose, glad to be able to breath without material in the way.

She allowed herself a small smile, somehow more at ease with herself than she had been a few moments before. Maybe Kakashi was right and there was something to this mask business.


	2. Summer Days

Disclaimer: Not mine. Please don't sue.

A/N: Recently I've been having issues getting anything to come out properly on paper, otherwise there wouldn't have been such a long wait in between. Also, this one is more silly than anything because I couldn't make it serious no matter how hard I tried. I will have a more serious version up sooner or later. (I'm still not entirely satisfied with this… Agh)

Notes: Sakura is about 14 in this one, and it's during the two year break.

Thanks to: iLychLuna, December Jewel, Taste of Fire, Eralda, blackestfaery, and everyone who read (over 200 hits!). I'm really glad you guys liked it. All the positive feedback is great, and seriously made my day.

**Summer Days**

For a period of about two weeks when they were younger his three students had obsessed over what was under his mask. He pretended not to notice (it was too much fun watching them plot), but it amused him. After a while they lost interest, but the memory still brought a smile to his face.

Thus, it did not surprise him when, one hot summer afternoon after their ritual sparring session, Sakura brought it up again.

They were sitting in the shade of one of the large trees, his vest had been discarded long ago, and Sakura was fanning herself with her headband.

She glanced at him several times out of the corner of her eye. "It's hot today, isn't it sensei?"

"Hn," Kakashi agreed, concentrating on rolling up the sleeves of his dark shirt and not on the heat.

"It has to be the hottest day of the year so far," she continued brightly.

"Most likely."

"And the humidity! I wish it would rain." She sighed, looking up at the cloudless sky.

A nod.

There was a pause, then- "I don't know how most Jounin do it, wearing black all the time. I'm surprised more of them don't collapse from heatstroke!" A note of frustration crept into her voice.

Kakashi shot her an amused look. "I didn't know you cared so much. Have you talked to the Hokage about these concerns of yours?"

Sakura scowled at him. "Yes, I have," she retorted. "She's considering banning masks during the summer." She stuck her tongue out at her teacher.

Chuckling, Kakashi leaned against the tree and closed his eyes. "So that's what this is about. I never would have guessed," he teased. "I think ANBU would have problems with this mask ban, however." He opened his eyes again when he felt Sakura watching him.

"Don't you ever take it off?" she asked curiously, previous irritation discarded. The headband she'd previously been fanning herself with forgotten on the grass beside her.

"Only when I sleep and shower," he replied.

Sakura wrinkled her nose. "You didn't need to tell me that," she accused.

He chuckled at her apparent distaste. "You did ask."

"What about when you have colds?" she demanded. "Doesn't your nose run-?"

"All the time."

"And how do you-?"

"Very quickly." He watched as she tilted her head to the side. "Have all your questions been answered?"

"Not really," she confessed with a shrug. "I do have one more question, though. Can I see you without your mask on?" Saying it as a joke, she was surprised at his next actions.

Wordlessly, Kakashi reached up and pulled the dark cloth from over the bottom half of his face. Contrary to the buckteeth or fish lips Sakura's teammates had imagined, he had a strong jaw though his features were boyish, and he looked no older than twenty-five. Altogether this had a rather charming effect, and Sakura found herself wondering why he wore the mask at all.

"That's it," she said incredulously, shaking herself out of her thoughts. "That's all there was to it?"

"That's all there was," Kakashi agreed. "Satisfied?"

"Well, it was a little anticlimactic," she admitted dryly. This caused him to smile, and, seeing it without the mask for the first time, Sakura couldn't help but smile back.

He stood and offered her a hand up before pulling the mask back over his nose. "Considering it's the hottest day of the summer, would you be up for some lemonade? My treat," he offered.

"Only to stop you from dehydrating," she conceded with a roll of her eyes.


End file.
